Suzani – from the Farsi word ‘suzan’, meaning needle – is an art form characteristic of Central Asia. Madina Kasimbaeva’s suzani combine folklore, myths and symbolism of Uzbekistan’s pre-Islamic history with contemporary innovations. The ‘Palak’, or ‘palyak’ style – meaning sky or firmament in the Uzbek language – is distinct to the artist’s home region of Tashkent, and combines geometric and astrological symbols (suns, moon, stars) with botanical motifs. Pomegranates, vines and flowers disrupt the ordered patterns of planetary circles, and sinuous serpents, regarded as protectors or spiritual guides, are found throughout.

Palak suzani are associated specifically with women, and signify protections for newlyweds, granting fertility and healthy children. Mothers would begin creating suzani immediately following a daughter’s birth, as a future dowry – when the textiles would be displayed in prominent positions around the bride’s new home. Meticulous in following age-old methods, Kasimbaeva creates her own dyes from natural ingredients, such as nutshells, saffron, onion peel, indigo and salt, to colour the raw silk thread. Often several embroiderers will collaborate on a piece, in a practice that Uzbek women have undertaken for generations. Kasimbaeva’s vast cosmological Palak suzani 2016–21 innovates in design and scale, and was made with the assistance of 15 of her students, taking five and half years to complete.